Maamtrasna

Maamtrasna
Elevation	682 m (2,238 ft)
Prominence	607 m (1,991 ft)
Parent Peak	Ben Gorm
Isolation	10 km (6.2 mi)
Parent Range	Partry Mountains
Grid Reference	L 961 637

Maamtrasna, historically Formnamore ('the great shoulder'), is the highest of the Partry Mountains in south County Mayo, Ireland, rising to 682 m above sea level. The summit is broad and flat with several ridges running off it creating dramatic steep walled valleys.

The name 'Maumtrasna' comes from Mám Trasna, meaning "the pass across", and originally meant the hill pass on the road between Lough Nafooey and Lough Mask. The townland of Maumtrasna is on the south bank of the Srahnalong river. The townland was the location of the infamous Maumtrasna Murders in 1882.

Geography

Artists depiction of the Ark-Trasna Theory

There are many theories regarding the formation of the mountain. Many believe that the mountain was once much taller and was in fact one of the tallest in the world, it was then truncated by an event that can only be described as supernatural. By extrapolating the curve of the hillsides below the truncation area, the pre-truncation elevation of the mountain can be estimated to be between 9,000 and 10,000 m tall, this would make it by far the tallest mountain in the world at the time.

The exact nature of this truncation event is highly contested, and numerous UGMC scholars have dedicated their lives to devising theories and experiments to explain this.

The Ark-Trasna Theory

A possible explanation is that the top of the mountain was converted into a spaceship by a fallen ancient civilization who possessed extremely sophisticated technology. It is possible that this civilization was escaping predatorial species of the Connemara snapping turtle who are known for their aggressive behaviour. The top of the mountain could have been used as an ark to escape to the cosmos to find a more habitable planet, giving this theory its name. Owing to this, it is often debated whether this civilization could return. There are a number of tower like structures on the plateau that can only be described as docking ports. If the ship returned, the mountain would be restored to it's former grandeur, although the weathering of space flight could have reduced it's size.

History

The mountain is thought to be cursed perhaps with the souls of the poor family that was brutally murdered in 1882. Whenever someone sets foot on the mountain fog quickly descends or a unexpected thunderstorm develops regardless of the weather forecast.

The Club and Maamtrasna

While the club used to hike Maamtrasna as one of the regular Sunday hikes it has been avoided in recent years. The primary reason is that of the two times the club has had to call Mountain Rescue on a Sunday hike, both were on this foggy plateau. The mountain is still hiked by the club's bravest members, usually on some form of torture hike and almost always involves running across the plateau searching for the non-existent summit.